Nine Secrets of
Healthy Relationships
The Fruit of the Spirit – Part One
First United Pentecostal Church ~ Sunday, September 9, 2001
Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT) 22 But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.
James 2:17 (NLT) So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all — it is dead and useless.
Matthew 7:16-17 (NLT) 16 You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You don’t pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles. 17 A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit.
Galatians 5:19-21 (NLT) 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, 20 idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
1. The Fruit of the Spirit is produced ______, not naturally.
Love God is love (1 John 4:16)
Joy He will rejoice over you (Zephaniah 3:17)
Peace The God of peace (Hebrews 13:20)
Patience He is patient with you (2 Peter 3:9)
Kindness His kindness to us (Ephesians 2:7)
Goodness I will see the goodness of the Lord (Psalm 27:13)
Faithfulness Great is your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23)
Gentleness I am humble and gentle (Matthew 11:29)
Self-control I have long … restrained myself (Isaiah 42:12)
Love Love the Lord … love your neighbor (Matthew 22:27-39)
Joy Rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4)
Peace Seek peace and pursue it (1 Peter 3:11)
Patience Be patient with everyone (1 Thessalonians 5:14)
Kindness Clothe yourself with kindness (Colossians 3:12)
Goodness Let us do good to all people (Galatians 6:10)
Faithfulness Be faithful, even to the point of death (Revelation 2:10)
Gentleness The servant of the Lord must be gentle (2 Timothy 2:24)
Self-control Add to your knowledge self-control (2 Peter 1:5-6)
John 15:4 (KJV) Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
2. The Fruit of the Spirit is ______.
3. Gifts show my ministry – fruit shows my ______.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS are distinctive abilities given to each believer when they receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, to be used to minister to others and build up the Body of Christ. Some of these gifts are supernatural (operated only under the influence of God’s Spirit), while others are natural abilities enhanced by God’s Spirit.
The Bible does not lock us into tight restrictions as to the number of spiritual gifts, or even their definitions. The major listings of gifts given to the church are found in: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, 1 Corinthians 12:27-31, Ephesians 4:11-12, Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 7:7-9, 1 Peter 4:9-11. But remember that the lists of spiritual gifts appearing in the New Testament are exemplary lists, not exhaustive lists.
4. Developing the Fruit of the Spirit in my life is the ______spiritual experience.
Romans 12:2 (KJV) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Mark 4:14-20 (NLT) 14 The farmer I talked about is the one who brings God’s message to others. 15 The seed that fell on the hard path represents those who hear the message, but then Satan comes at once and takes it away from them. 16 The rocky soil represents those who hear the message and receive it with joy. 17 But like young plants in such soil, their roots don’t go very deep. At first they get along fine, but they wilt as soon as they have problems or are persecuted because they believe the word. 18 The thorny ground represents those who hear and accept the Good News, 19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for nice things, so no crop is produced. 20 But the good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s message and produce a huge harvest—thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted.”
There are four kinds of people who hear God’s word:
PATHWAY PEOPLE
ROCKY PEOPLE
THORNY PEOPLE
PRODUCTIVE PEOPLE
John 15:5 (KJV) I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.